CTA: Tibet Not Part of China but Middle Way Remains Viable Solution

The Central
Tibetan Administration on 17th December, launched a report titled ‘Tibet
is Not a Part of China but Middle Way Remains a Viable Solution.’ The
flagship report which is CTA’s
comprehensive report on the situation inside Tibet under Chinese
occupation was published today in three languages- Tibetan, English and
Chinese.

Along with
Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, former diplomat and MP, Shri Mani Shankar
Aiyar attended the release of the report held at the Constitution Club
of India, New Delhi.

Chinese
colonialism on Tibet referred to as roof of the world, has been the
biggest disaster the Tibetan people had to confront in thousands of
years of its history. The occupation caused not only
widespread dismay and disappointment for the Tibetan people but also
led to a massive destruction of its culture, religion and language as a
result of the failed policies adopted by the government.

However,
despite more than fifty years of Chinese brutality and repression, the
fact remains that China has failed in its attempt at capturing the heart
and soul of Tibet. This is evidenced through
the peaceful protests that the Tibetan people have continued to stage
over the years particularly the wave of self-immolation protests that
have rocked Tibet since 2009.

These
evidences point to the fact that contrary to what the Chinese government
claims, Tibet is far from the socialist paradise that they have
promised and remains one of the most repressed places
in the world plagued by a series of unjust policies.

Piqued by
these protests and the violent reactions reciprocated by the Chinese
government, Tibet has once again began to capture the imagination of the
world with its non-violent movement and its
realistic Middle Way Approach to resolve the issue.

To buttress
its point and to quench the increasing international demand for concise
information on the key points of the Tibet issue, the Central Tibetan
Administration today released a comprehensive
report titled ‘Tibet is Not a Part of China but Middle Way Remains a
Viable Solution’.

The 107-page
report directly addresses the many areas of concern, in particular the
fundamental question on the historical status of Tibet, the
reincarnation issue with regard to His Holiness the
Dalai Lama, the deteriorating environmental situation of the Tibetan
plateau and repression masquerading as urbanisation and economic
development inside Tibet.

The report
also profoundly illustrates the Central Tibetan Administration’s
flagship policy—the Middle Way Approach to resolve the issue of Tibet
amicably with China.

The report,
described as readable, and brutally informative and poignant at the same
time, is CTA’s latest attempt to correctly inform the real situation
inside Tibet to the world after a gap of
at least 7 years. The last comprehensive report on Tibet ‘Proving Truth
from Facts’ was published in 2009 by DIIR.

“As far as
the Chinese government is concerned, truth has always been a malleable
entity, subverting and twisting at will to suit its agenda. However,
this report promises to stick to the truth in
its most authentic form and tear China’s pathological obsession with
control of information,” Ms Dhardon Sharling, Information Secretary of
DIIR said.

“The report
vividly documents the unfolding disastrous consequences of China’s
atrocities in Tibet and the Central Tibetan Administration’s repeated
attempts to ameliorate the situation through dialogue,”
she added.

The report
also features some bold proclamations and expose the jarring contrast
between the Tibet of Chinese propaganda and the Tibet which continues to
remain – at least in the popular imagination
– a separate entity distinct from what the Chinese government attempts
to portray.

Lauding the
Central Tibetan Administration for its earnest efforts, Mr Mani Shankar
Aiyar said, “The Tibetan proposal to resolve the Tibet issue conforms
closely with India’s own efforts to resolve
its border disputes with China. Nehru’s vision was in complete harmony
with the current approaches proposed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” he
said.

He also
encouraged the Tibetans to continue their efforts and said that he
remains hopeful and optimistic for a quick resolution of the Tibet
issue.

“It is easier
to be a pessimist than an optimist but the fact that there is dialogue,
it gives the Tibetan movement a measure of stability and progress,” he
remarked.

He
further added that India and Tibet know China is not easy to deal with.
“However, our efforts also lets China know that Tibet and India are also
not easy foes either. Empty military threats doesn’t
work anymore,” he said.

To emphasise
this particular strain of truth, Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, said at the
release of the report today “China has time and again made every effort
to create a pristine image of Tibet that
is out of touch with reality. Soon after its formation in 1949, the
People’s Republic of China occupied Tibet under the guise of
‘liberation.’ Since then, people inside Tibet have expressed their deep
resistance against China’s Tibet policies through numerous
peaceful protests. It is quite clear that issues such as the
reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the degradation of Tibet’s
ecosystem, the rapid urbanization of Tibetan rural areas have a direct
impact on the world at large. Therefore we are releasing
this publication in three languages to present the current situation
inside Tibet under the Chinese rule and share our position on these
issues in order to draw international attention and generate public
discourse on the best way forward to resolving the
issue of Tibet, that is through the Middle Way Approach.”

Ms Jaya
Jaitly, recalled the time when George Fernandes, former defense minister
of India and a staunch Tibet supporter, organised the first
international conference on Tibet in August 1989. “Though
I would like India to open its door to Tibetans, I hope your own
country will open its door for you first,” she said.

The
comprehensive report on Tibet received enthusiastic reception from the
audience present, which included Tibetologists, researchers,
politicians, scholars and journalists.

“The report,
particularly the spirit in which it is compiled, is startlingly relevant
today and is bound to draw the attention of the world towards the
occupation of Tibet and the Tibetan administration’s
repeated efforts to resolve the issue,” Lobsang Yangtso, PHD, JNU, said
at the release.

“The
non-violent and peaceful approach of reconciliation with Tibet’s
invaders by the Tibetan people based on the middle way approach is
exemplary and illuminating.” she added.